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According to newsminer.com – Alaska state senator Albert Kookesh will challenge a fishing citation he received and seek a court opinion on whether a state wildlife officer has jurisdiction over subsistence fishermen on federal land. Mr. Kookesh is also the board chair of Sealaska, the Alaska native corporation for Southeast Alaska.

“I want NARF (Native American Rights Fund) involved with this. I want to make sure the Native community is involved with this. I want to make sure AFN is involved,” he said.

He has contacted Larry EchoHawk, head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and plans to speak to Kim Elton, the director of Alaska affairs for the Interior Department.

“We’ll see who wants to get on the bandwagon,” he said.

At an Aug. 12 hearing in Angoon, Kookesh and the three others pleaded not guilty to one count of exceeding the subsistence salmon limit. A trial is set for Oct. 5. For the full story on newsminer.com, click here.